Jun 12, 2024
Mansion of the Doomed (Massacre Mansion, 1976)
"You must trust me. I'm going to give you back your eyes, all of you. Soon. As soon as I've succeeded with Nancy, as soon as I... I discover the truth. I will share that truth with you. For the whole world! I believe in humanity, that's - that's what it's all about."
#mansion of the doomed#massacre mansion#horror imagery#1976#american cinema#michael pataki#frank ray perilli#richard basehart#gloria grahame#trish stewart#lance henriksen#al ferrara#jojo d'amore#donna andresen#marilyn joi#vic tayback#libby chase#katherine fitzpatrick#katherine stewart#patsy sublime#robert o. ragland#unfortunately for tv's own Ricky Basehart‚ his beloved only daughter has lost her sight in a car accident; luckily for them both he's a#world leading eye doctor. unfortunately for everyone‚ he's bonkers and needs to steal eyes from the living to work his sciencey magic#a strangely accomplished feeling nasty; it's a relatively minor production filled with tv actors but the script (despite being more or less#a straight riff on Eyes Without a Face) has some clever ideas and it's all approached with a level of professionalism and polish that#you just don't always see in a gruesome horror flick. nice to see Gloria G in one of her late roles‚ and my man Lance H is always a good#addition to literally any old bit of fluff he turns up in. quite a bit better than i went in anticipating and ending on a genuinely#disconcerting (and beautifully executed from a technical pov) note of unease and discord. might not be at Franju's level of#cinematic capability but first time director Pataki (better known as an actor) equips himself commendably well